2023 in review | The End of an Era (for me) (Patreon)
Content
This took me a very long time to write, and it would mean a lot if you took the time to read it and leave a comment. Thank you!🧡
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Sup folks! I hope y'all had a great holiday! As we transition into 2024, I wanted to do a bit of a retrospective. This year has been a one of change for me. While I had a lot of things planned this year, things didn't exactly go where I wanted them to go, for I am but a man, one with limitations. And this year, I think I finally found my limits. And this is a good thing! I think it's good to know my limits and adjust accordingly rather than try to brute-force my way through it and combust. That said, I want to look back and talk about the plans I had this year and what I want to do next year!
First off, I want to address The Dandy Demon
The series that started it all. I've always considered this series to be experimental. When I made the first comic, Squishmas Special, I had no real plan for the future of these characters. I just wanted to make a horny story, but then it kinda mutated into something more. I wanted to make a long-running series, but I had no idea how to do it. I didn't really plan for it, and very little development was involved beforehand. I just started with Chapter 1 and went from there. It wasn't until Chapter 6 that I actually considered doing any kind of worldbuilding for this series... which was an experiment in itself. I've never done anything like it before, and I learned so much about geography, linguistics, and even geopolitics while working on my lore.
Truth be told, I think I enjoyed the worldbuilding more than the main story itself. And eventually, I had to stop and think, "How much of this is even relevant to The Dandy Demon?". Then I started thinking, "What do I even want out of The Dandy Demon?".
I'm gonna be real with you. I am not happy with where the comic is.
I'm six years into this series. I only created 11 chapters, and the story hasn't gone anywhere. My enthusiasm for this project has long since depleted, which is why I decided to shelve it earlier this year. I know many people love this series and the characters, and I appreciate you all for supporting me in this development. If I ever return to the series, I might do a reboot or something. Though to be honest, I really don't want to keep forcing myself to stay excited about such an old project. I love my Dandy characters, and I intend to keep drawing them of course, but as of this year, I think The Dandy Demon as I know it isn't something I want to keep doing. What used to feel like breathing life into a story now feels like CPR, and I can't look at this series without feeling a little frustrated. And it sucks to say this, considering there are so many questions left unanswered in the story. I didn't exactly leave the story with any answers.
I don't know what the future holds for this series. Maybe I'll start over. Maybe I'll find love for it again and continue where we left off. Either way, I'd rather just move forward with new ideas, branch out from my flagship titles, and make stuff that I'm actually pumped for!
And that's what Bun Bash is.
In 2022, I designed a bunny that I intend to sell off as an adoptable, but the design gave me a boner so great that it compelled me to keep it. And that bunny's name is Ruth.
She's very different from a lot of the OCs that I've made, a culmination of my less-explored kinks. At the start of this year, I had no major plans for her beyond just drawing her a lot. But around the summer, I got an idea to start a new project involving another fixation of mine: Fighting! I figured that Ruth would be the perfect vessel to explore this subject that I've enjoyed ever since I was a kid. And with everything that I've learned from making past comics, I wanted to do it right this time!
So I've been taking the time to actually develop Bun Bash. Writing, worldbuilding, art direction. I have my ducks in a row for once, and the results are promising! Next year, I'll be continuing on this course!
And no, I did not forget about Stacy & Co.
I blew a massive load on Tap Out in 2022, and I'm still recovering. That comic was my absolute favorite to work on, and I'm still very proud. That said I don't know if I'll ever have the energy to make another 50+ page comic in one sitting lol. I do, however, have some ideas planned that I want to do next year. In fact, after I finish Chapter 4 of Bun Bash, I want to start another short story that I have already written!
Unlike the Dandy Demon and Bun Bash, I've been very happy with the episodic nature of Stacy & Company, and I want it to remain a horny sandbox. This next story (involving Roxy and a new possible character) will reflect that! I don't want to talk about it too much as I already have a lot on my plate, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there~
All in all, this has been a wonderful year! I'm very grateful for everyone's support. Whether you've followed me on Patreon, bought my comics, or simply jacked off to my work. It all means the world to me and I'm glad to be doing this full-time!
I'm gonna go jack off now, bu-bye!